The strong voice of a great community
December, 2014

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"TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION”


                                              BY Erato Kozakou-Marcoulis
Cyprus has been going through an abnormal political situation during the last 50 years in the relations between the two communities, with the non-participation of Turkish Cypriots in civic structures and institutions of the state. The situation has been further complicated since the Turkish invasion and occupation of 1974 and the forcible transfer and division of the population on ethnic criteria, with the result that the two communities do not live together and do not have common experiences over the last 40 years.
In addition to the efforts to solve the political problem, the objective of which is to put an end to the occupation and to reunify the state and the people, the need unquestionably remains to prepare the ground for the future peaceful coexistence of the two communities, so as to guarantee peace and stability on the island.
In societies that have suffered from ethnic conflicts and violent division, one of the essential components for the building of a sustainable peace, for the effective implementation of peace agreements and for the consolidation of sustainable growth, for respect for democratic institutions and human rights, is reconciliation.
It is for this reason that, in the case of Cyprus, it is necessary to build bridges with the Turkish Cypriot community, to seek the truth about all the human rights violations and violence committed in the past and to make an effort to accept the pain and suffering and the other as ours, which is a necessary characteristic of reconciliation.
The death of Nelson Mandela, the indefatigable fighter for racial and social equality, freedom and justice, has reminded us all of the miracle of healing and the seeking of the truth, so that we can build a future free of hatred. He was the historic leader, who after 27 years in prison for his struggle against apartheid, he had chosen the path of forgiveness and reconciliation. With his vision and wisdom, he led his country from a racist system of white domination and racial hatred, deeply rooted in enmity and bloodshed, to a country of forgiveness and the common homeland for all its citizens, in a multicultural and multiracial society, a rainbow nation, as he used to call it.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was established in 1996 and functioned as a quasi-judicial body for two years, under the wise chairmanship of Reverend Desmond Tutu, allowed 22,000 men and women to re-live the pain and the loss of their loved ones and hundreds of perpetrators dared to open the wounds of guilt and to admit their crimes, asking forgiveness from the victims' relatives. This truth telling mission made possible the start of the healing process of the wounds of history, based on which a new South African nation would be born, based on unity, trust, tolerance and mutual respect.
Desmont Tutu summed up the essence of reconciliation with the following wise words:
"There is no handy roadmap for reconciliation. There is no short cut or a simple prescription for healing the wounds after a prolonged conflict. Creating trust and understanding between former enemies is a supremely difficult challenge, but it is an essential one to address in the process of building a lasting peace. Examining the painful past, acknowledging it and understanding it, but above all transcending it together, is the best way to ensure that it will not happen again".
Forgiveness was central to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In the new democratic society that emerged there was no place for reprisal. Desmond Tutu noted: "We witnessed so many incredible people, who, despite experiencing atrocity and tragedy, have come to a point in their lives where they are able to forgive". The daughter of one of the victims of a gruesome murder is one such example of the need for truth and forgiveness. When she was asked whether she would be able to forgive the people who have caused so much suffering to her and her family, she replied: "We would like to forgive, but we would like to know who to forgive' ."